


Rogue

by CasualOtaku



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Depeche Mode References, Implied Violence, JayTim Week, JayTimBINGO2019, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Not Beta Read, Past Character Death, Past Lives, Timeline What Timeline, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-13 09:43:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20172175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualOtaku/pseuds/CasualOtaku
Summary: Written for JayTimBINGO2019 - Week 1: Mythology.  The prompts used will be the title of the chapters.Jason finds some rings.  Tim buys a painting.  Past lives come to light and this entire fic ran away from my intention to make these chapters drabbles.  ( i.e. Chapter length grows exponentially.)





	1. Whispers

Please Note:

[_Thoughts_]  
-_Whispers from the past_-

\----------------------------------------------------------

Later, Jason would tell himself the reason he picked up the small, pair of rings in the first place was to study them as evidence. They looked to be from the Victorian era, and were fashioned to resemble a pair of entwined serpents when stacked together. The metal that made up the coils of the serpents was thick and heavy and a small, red gem set inside each eye. Why they would be among the rubble of a burned out warehouse was beyond him, but for some reason he couldn’t help but resist taking them with him. He ignored the part of his mind that tried to tell him it was because of the soft whispers that had come with their discovery.

-_May these rings will bind us. __In this life, the next life, and every life that follows. May we never truly part._-

That had to be his imagination. Right? Besides, if worse came to worse, he could always hock the things. Even an outlaw -_rogue_\- had to pay the bills.


	2. Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim buys a painting.

Please Note:

[_Thoughts_]

-_Whispers from the past_-

\----------------------------------------

Tim put on his best society smile as he moved around the small art gallery, sipping a glass of sparkling cider as he chatted up a fellow attendee. Normally he would do everything to escape something like this, but Wayne Enterprises was one of the sponsors so at least one member of the family was expected to attend. The young woman he was talking to had been doing her best to wow him with her knowledge of all the items on display, more than happy to regale him with stories about who the art works had originally belonged to how they had been recovered. 

But then wait staff had arrived with coffee and Tim quickly excused himself just before she could launch into yet another story (this time about how part of the collection was lost in a _ very suspicious _ fire. Tim knew for a fact the gallery served a very nice Kenyan blend and he was not going to miss out on that. He was only a few steps away when he passed by a painting that could have been Jason’s doppelganger and stopped short. Okay, it wasn’t a perfect match as the man in the painting had wavy red hair, but the resemblance was so uncanny Tim found himself checking the info card for a date, almost certain this had to be a modern recreation of a romantic era painting. It wasn’t entirely unheard of for artists to use famous faces after all and Jason had been all over the news for a short period after his adoption. However the date on the painting planted it firmly in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Red-headed Jason (yes he knew it wasn’t Jason, but seriously...that smile...those thighs. Oh man those thighs.). Red-headed Jason was clad in midnight blue pants and a partially opened white shirt. He was facing the viewer, slightly crouched with a foil raised _ en guard _ , allowing Tim to see part of a small gold ring in the shape of a snake. Tim read the title and chuckled a little. [ _ The Rogue. _] 

-_ My rogue. In this life, the next life, and every life that follows.- _ a soft voice whispered in the back of his mind. -_May we never truly part.- _

Tim bit the tip of his tongue as he eyed the asking price. It was expensive, but not ridiculously so...probably because the artist was unknown. He didn’t know what he’d do with a painting.

_-Forever and a day. I’ll love you.- _

...but he still wanted it. [_It’s an investment piece. I could use a good investment piece. _] Tim told himself. Ignoring the odd stray thoughts that had whispered across his subconscious mind. First however, there was coffee to be had. He could put in his bid for the painting later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The word count creeps upward. I swear actual plot will happen by the end. (Whether it will be _good_ plot is up for debate.
> 
> Don't forget to give your Tim coffee at least once per fic. You don't want to see Tim without his coffee.


	3. Reincarnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason starts to realize something is up.

Please Note:

[_Thoughts_]

=_Whispers from the past_-

\---------------------------------------------

Jason was <strike> remembering </strike> dreaming. He had to be, because there was no other way he’d get to see Tim Drake stretched out in bed beside him, all but swimming in an off-white colonial top with laces at the neck. 

The outfit should have been downright prim and proper, but dream logic told him that was HIS shirt Tim was sleeping in and that automatically made it sexy. He leaned up on one elbow to look down at his <strike> brother </strike> husband with a small smile and let his gaze linger on the silver ring that adorned Tim’s left hand. It was a match to the gold one that adorned his own finger, only Tim's ring was set with a precious fire opal that seemed to glow with an inner light. It only seemed appropriate given Tim - _ Timothee _\- was the light of his life.. 

Just two more days travel and they would be at their new home on a newly discovered island where there would be no laws to keep them apart. No more rum running. No more crime. Just a nice quiet life with the man that had won his heart.

They had plenty of supplies to build a new home, a new life together. And as Tim opened his eyes and gave him a sleepy, but loving smile he felt his heart soar with hope for a better day. Only to have it plummet when they heard shouts and the ringing of a bell from above.

“PRIVATEERS!!”

-_ Well shite _-

Jason snapped awake just as dream him was shoving dream Tim behind his back, protecting the smaller man from the men that had invaded their bedchamber. Jason wasn’t sure how, but he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that they hadn’t gotten their happy ending.

[_ Of course not. It was me in that dream I don’t get happy endings outside of seedy massage parlors _.]

Jason slid out of bed and ran a hand over his face before he headed over to the table where he’d set down the rings he’d found earlier. He picked up the gold snake, testing its heft against his palm. It was heavy, clearly real gold, and he had no doubt the tiny ruby was real as well. He’d done a bit of research before bed and found out that the Victorians had often given snake rings as a sign of eternal love. He didn’t want to delve too deeply into why his subconscious had decided on Tim Drake of all people to star as his spouse. It would just bring up a lot of hurt and regret. Still...he had to admit that Tim had made a pretty picture in that over-sized shirt.

Jason shook his head and went to set the ring down again before he paused. He’d been wearing it in his dream. Was it possible it would even fit? He didn’t wear rings so he had no idea of his own size. Curious, he slid the ring on and gasped as his mind was suddenly flooded with memories. He was watching snapshots of a life that both was and wasn’t his own; snippets of a childhood spent constantly cycling between feast and famine until he managed to win a ship of his own and became a rum runner.

How he’d met Tim and somehow been convinced to let the wee thing join him on a pirate ship. How said wee thing had become a deceptively deadly combatant under his tutelage and the two wonderful years they’d gotten to spend as lovers before deciding it was time to work towards a retirement.

Eventually Jason reached the end of the memory dump. Tim, his beautiful perfect Tim, had flung himself between Jason and a musket, sacrificing himself to save Jason’s unworthy hide. Jason had seen red and the lucky souls that managed to escape his wrath would go on to tell tales of the Crimson Fox; a pirate that had fought long after any man should have been dead to avenge his fallen lover. A pirate that killed over fifty men before calmly returning to the lower decks of his sinking ship to embrace his lover one last time before the sea dragged them both down to Davy Jones’ Locker.

The memories stuttered to a halt, leaving Jason reeling in their wake. [_The fuck was that? _] Jason reached for the ring, intending to tear it off his finger but the damned thing wouldn’t budge. If anything it felt like it had gotten tighter. And for just one moment he could swear he saw the eye of the serpent gleam.

[_Fuck my life._]


	4. Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason gets a clue-by-four right between the eyes.

Please Note:

[_Thoughts_]

=_Whispers from the past_-

\--------------------------------------------------

Jason was in the bathroom soaking his hand in an entire bowl of liquid soap in an effort to get the thrice damned ring off his finger when he heard his cellphone start blaring.

_Reach out and touch faith _

_ Your own personal Jesus _

_ Someone to hear your prayers _

_ Someone who cares _

Jason gave the ring a small twist and winced as the ring DEFINITELY squeezed down while Depeche Mode continued to blare in the background. The ringtone was Roy’s idea of a joke. The fucker had assigned 80's songs to ALL of Jason’s contacts during a night of drunken board games and Jason hadn’t been able to figure out how to undo it yet. Swearing softly he gave up on removing the ring for the moment and went to answer the phone.

“What?”

Tim blinked at the hostility he sensed in that question. He liked to think he and Jason had been getting along pretty well of late. [_But that could just him caring about the mission. He could still hate me after all that happened. He could still feel like I took Robin from him and he just got over the Pit Rage enough to not want me dead. The pizza and video games and stuff is just him-_]

-_ Stop that. No self-flagellation- _

Tim shook his head to clear it. “Are you free? II wanted to stop by and show you something and since it’s my turn to provide food so I thought I’d find out if you wanted to try that new Thai spot. I know it’s not our usual but-”

For some reason the moment the word Thai left Tim’s lips Jason got an intense craving for coconuts. “Sure, baby bird. I could go for some panang...bring a young coconut if they have one.

Tim’s voice instantly brightened and some of the tension in Jason’s body eased at the sound of it. “Great! I’ll call it in and head over. See you soon, Jay.”

Jason sighed after Tim hung up and lifted his hand to stare at the ring. It wasn’t as tight as it had been before so there was definitely something odd going down, but for the moment the worst it seemed to be doing was squeezing when he tried to take it off and giving him weird dreams of being a pirate married to Tim Drake. Hell, maybe a second set of hands was exactly what he needed to get the darn thing off. And Tim had clever little fingers. The baby bird would have made a hell of a pickpocket back in the day.

-_ A waste. Tim could have been a surgeon- _

Jason jumped. This time he wasn’t going to dismiss the whispers, but hat didn’t mean he particularly enjoyed having them in his head. He looked down at the ring and scowled. “Okay, the fuck is going on with you? Did you go freaking out some poor schmuck with your freaky ass whispering? Because I could see that shit leading to a literal scorched earth policy.”

\- _ Wait...are you actually listening? _ \- 

  
“I certainly am now fucker. The hell are you doing giving me freaky dreams like that?” Jason said.

-_They aren’t dreams. They’re thoughts...memories. _ -

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Jason asked.

-_The ring held onto a sliver of my soul when I died. I sent the images in the hope it would encourage you to help me. I cannot rest until I am reunited with my lover. _-

“Sucks to be you then, because I’m no matchmaker. So, you can just let go of my fucking finger and let me pass you on to someone that gives a shit.” 

-_ It’s not that easy.. We’re tethered. _-

“We’ll fucking unteher and find another sucker.” Jason said.

-_ You don’t understand a tether? What kind of backwoods education were you given? _-

“The kind that says there’s so such thing as a fucking talking ring that whispers inside my head and won’t let go of my fucking finger.” Jason shot back.

Jason could hear the sigh in the voice as it spoke again. -_ Timothee was right. I am rather obtuse when faced with things I don’t want to acknowledge _-

“You leave Tim outta this!” Jason snapped automatically. “The baby bird doesn’t need to be part of your perverted play.”

-_ Baby bird? No, Timothee was no squalling chick. Although I could see how one would make that mistake at first glance. He’s always been small and slender, but he had a lot of fight in that tiny frame.-.. _

“That’s not what I’m talking about you freak! I’m talking about the fact you used _ my _ Timothy’s face in that vision of yours.”

-_No. I didn’t. I can’t access your memories, only my own. I’m a sliver of a soul. Remember?.I don’t have that level of power- _

“Okay...let’s say I believe all that. _ Which I don’t _. Why me?”

-_Isn’t it obvious? Because I am you. And you’re me. And once we find the rest of my husband’s soul you’ll finally feel complete. _ -

Jason gaped at that before he eyed the knife block in his kitchen. If he made the cut quickly and cleanly enough he could sever his finger, get it on ice, and get it reattached sans ring. That had to be better than dealing with the goddamn emotional equivalent of an atomic bomb he had going off right now.

Unfortunately he didn’t get a chance to even solidify the hysterical thought before there was a knock at his door.

“Hey, Jay!” Tim said through the wood and steel. “I got your coconut!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when I'm writing madly to meet a deadline. You get crazy ass scenarios like this. That might make me regret everything.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me this far. One more chapter to go and I can finally get these clueless lovebirds together.


	5. Virgin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whew!! I'm a day late posting but I finally made it though. Gotta add UST to the tags for this chapter. But getting to smut would have taken a lot more chapters. I felt this was a nice, clean spot to break and move on to the next set of prompts.

Please Note:

[_Thoughts_]  
-_Whispers from the past-_

============================================

VIRGIN  
  
Jason wondered for one brief moment if he should just run. There was no way he could explain all this to Tim without coming across as a total creep. He mentally went over THAT little conversation in his head.   
  
_ So...funny thing babybird. I found these rings in the remains of a burnt out warehouse and now I got a voice in my head saying you and me gotta get together before it’ll leave me alone. Reincarnated lovers or some shit. So you wanna do be a solid and let me tap that to see if it satisfies the ‘consummate our love’ requirement since I know you could never LOVE me love me that way? _ [_Although I could _ ** _totally_ ** _ love you that way._]

Yeah, he’d be lucky to get away with just another kick to the crotch. And his baby bird had gotten a LOT more powerful since then. Seriously, Timmy had no right to grow up so fucking cute and sexy when he was such a scrawny kid. Tim was like the living epitome of the “careful who you make fun of” meme.  
  
“Jay? Can you let me in or is this your way of getting me to test your locks again?” Tim asked through the door.

Jason snapped out of his stupor. He was being stupid. Tim was the smartest guy in the entire family. If anyone could come up with a solution that didn’t involve temporary dismemberment it was him. Jason rushed across the floor and opened the door just as Tim was reaching for his lockpicks.

The smell of Thai food and the citrusy soap Tim used when he was in ‘society’ mode wafted in and Jason heard a soft whisper of longing from his past self.  
  
Tim smiled up at him and held up a netted bag containing two young coconuts that had already been peeled and were simply waiting for the tops to be lopped off for drinking. “Once you said it it sounded so good I just had to get one for myself. They’re nice and cold too.”   
  
Jason just stared as he was hit with a wave of emotion.   
  
\- _ It’s him! It’s Timothee. I would know that smile anywhere. _ \-   
  
Tim blushed a bit at the scrutiny, feeling an odd wave of desire at the stare. Well, not entirely odd because it was Jason and Jason was the epitome of roguishly handsome. He shook off the attraction however and moved over to the coffee table to begin spreading out the miniature feast he’d come up with.   
  
\- _ My beloved rogue. _ \-   
  
Tim’s ears went a bit pink. That hadn’t been the first time tonight he’d been having errant thoughts about Jason. He’d assumed he just missed the big goof and having a laugh over the painting would be enough to quell his desire to be around the man..He was just pulling out the panang when he spied the second ring. He snapped up the little snake before Jason could warn him otherwise and looked it over. “Oh wow...now that is one hell of a coincidence. Where did you even get this?”   
  
Jason began moving forward, intending to knock the ring out of Tim’s hands before he could get sucked into the weirdness as well, but he just couldn’t make himself do it. “Found it.” he said instead.   
  
Something about the way Jason said it made Tim believe he wasn’t getting the whole story.   
  
Jason slowly raised his hand to show off the matching ring. “They were a set.”   
  
Tim felt his heart thudding a bit faster for some reason. “Oh. Oh wow...now I feel like I’m moving out of coincidence territory. I totally have to show you this now.”   
  
Tim set the ring down and Jason winced as the voice in his ring began screaming.

-_ NOO!! The ring is right there, Timothee!! Put it on! Put it on!- _

Jason wanted very much to grab the second ring and toss it as far away from his baby bird as possible, but there was no way to do that without explaining why he was throwing away a ring that was easily worth three thousand dollars or more. 

Tim pulled out his phone and opened up his photo gallery before holding up a photo he’d taken of _ The Rogue _ . “Looks just like you, huh?”   
  
\- _ It IS me. He...he commissioned a painting of me? It must have cost a fortune.- _   
  
Tim chuckled. “You look pretty handsome with red hair..”   
  
Jason felt his heart skip a beat as he read between the lines. Tim thought past him was handsome, that meant that he must think present him was handsome to at least some degree, right? [ _ Stop that...you killed any chances at being sexy with the trying to kill him shit. _ ]   
  
\- _ YOU WHAT?! I cannot believe even a reincarnation of me was that idiotic AGAIN!! It’s amazing he can even smile at us. _ \-   
  
[ _ Amen to that. _ ] Jason thought dryly. “I’d look too much like Roy, don’t you think?”   
  
“That’s not a bad thing. Roy is a handsome guy.” Tim said   
  
Jason saw green. Envy green, not Pit green, but green all the same.   
  
“But so are you. You could totally get someone if you wanted.” Tim said as he began opening containers. “So can you get us a drill or something to get into these coconuts?”

Jason wasn’t sure how to process the first part of that statement so he just nodded and floated towards the kitchen on auto pilot. [_ Tim thinks I’m handsome? No, no...don’t overthink it. He’s just being a supportive little brother. _ ]   
  
Jason was still trying to talk himself down the surge of hope/desire as he grabbed a cleaver and turned back around just in time to see Tim collapse. Jason dropped the cleaver and ran into the living room, noting the gleam of the other ring on Tim’s hand.   
  
“No!! No. No. No. No. NO!!” Jason cried out as he grabbed Tim’s hand and tried to pry off the ring as he watched Tim’s eyes roll into the back of his head and begin shaking rapidly. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! I know you’re curious. Why did I leave you alone with it. Why did I--”   
  
Jason gasped as Tim’s eyes suddenly snapped back into focus and the teen reached up to cup Jason’s cheek. “Shhh, no need for panic my love.”   
  
Jason shook his head. That both was and wasn’t Timmy’s voice which meant this was the perfect time to panic in his eyes.   
  
Tim...no Timothee just smiled gently and reached down to take Jason’s left hand in his own. “You did well.”   
  
Jason’s heart began hammering in his chest as Tim began moving in for a kiss. [ _ This is wrong. Tim’s taken over by some freaky ghost self of some shit and I-- _ ]   
  
Tim’s lips touched Jason’s own and it was like fireworks going off in his mind. It wasn’t just desire, it was hope, and light, and love, and pretty much everything he could imagine heaven would offer--and then Tim was pulling away.   
  
“Hey...it’s okay, Jay.” Tim murmured. “Timothee is explaining everything.”   
  
“Baby bird? Is that really you?” Jason asked.   
  
“Yeah. It’s me. This is pretty wild, huh?” Tim said. “I mean, I know there’s an afterlife because of Deadman, but wow.”   
  
“Uh..just what is other you saying?” Jason said. He couldn’t imagine Tim would be this calm if Timothee had explained the sex thing. Jason himself sure as hell wasn’t.

“He says he personally wouldn’t mind sticking around a while and seeing the modern world through my eyes for a bit, and he’s not going to drag me into something I don’t want even if his rogue would rather go the fast route to unification and have us...err...consummate their union.” Tim murmured, turning a bit pink.  
  
“And what do you want, Tim?” Jason asked because once Tim said ‘No.’ he’d have all the fuel he needed to shut the Rogue down. Past lives or no..

“Time.” Tim admitted honestly “I’m not ready to lose my virginity just yet.”   
  
Jason opened his mouth to say there was no way in hell he was going to take Tim’s V-card over some past life whispers only to get stunned into silence by Tim’s next words. 

“We should have at least go on a date or two before getting to second base. Don’t you think?” 

Jason blinked. “Wait...what?”  
  
Tim looked up at Jason and gave him a sweet smile. “I’m asking if you want to go out with me, Jay. Well...technically us...but also technically me. Wow this split soul thing gets confusing. Doesn’t it?”   
  
Jason’s mind was still stuck on ‘go out with me’. He blinked a few times. “This is you asking, right? Not Timothee?”   
  
“Have I ever been the type to do something I didn’t want to?” Tim asked.   
  
Considering Tim had shut down the goddamn Bat, Jason couldn’t help but admit that Tim would be the last person to let a disembodied voice force him into anything.   
  
“I...kinda always wanted to.” Tim said as he stared into a container of pad thai. “I just didn’t think you’d agree. But if there’s even a hint of a chance we’re as compatible as Tmothee says we were in the past--”   
  
“Yes.” Jason said and felt relief flood from both his past self and his own heart. “I will totally go out with you, Tim.”   
  
Tim beamed at that and Jason felt his heart soar. Past or present, this life or the next, he had a feeling he really would always love Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that left kudos or even just stopped by to give this story a read. It's really awesome to know someone out there enjoyed my sleep-deprived rambling.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear this was meant to be a short and sweet set of drabbles, but it just grew. I'm not quite in novella territory, but I won't be able to finish in a day like I hoped.
> 
> Here's hoping the muse stays strong. ᕙ(⇀‸↼ )ᕗ


End file.
